A dream home – what makes yours?

We’ve all done it. Imagined winning the lottery and the life of luxury we would live. The dream car, the dream holidays, the dream home.

But how would you choose that ideal house? Where would it be? And what are the key features that really make it your dream home?

Writing this I’m reminded of a book my children love – You Choose by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart. Youngsters are encouraged to choose their dream job, dream parents and dream home.

They can pick from pages of pictures including a castle, cottage, tree house, lighthouse, wigwam or windmill.

Just one look at properties on the market in Devon lately and you could be forgiven for mistaking one particular property for something in a work of fiction.

‘The Reservoir’ is a six bedroom architectural gem, nestled in an acre of land overlooking Sidmouth. Offering three bathrooms and two reception rooms, as well as a double garage, and on the market for a mere £890,000, this quirky property would certainly tick a lot of boxes for many people hunting for their dream home.

But everyone has different views on what makes the perfect property and, with house prices still on the rise, it appears that some people are still going out and getting theirs. According the Office for National Statistics house prices in the UK rose by 2.1% in the 12 months to November 2012.

London saw the biggest hike, with people grabbing their dream home for prices 5% higher than the previous year.

The most expensive property sold in recent years is not, however, actually situated in London. It sits in the Oxfordshire village of Remenham, near Henley-on-Thames and was bought in 2011, reportedly for £140m. The 300-year-old Grade II listed building was clearly worth it for one Russian buyer desperate for their dream home.

With cottages, stables and a boat house on the Thames, as well as its own resident ghost, it is easy to see why.

And as far as historical properties go, mention must be given to Castle House, on Old Bath Road, Newbury. A two bedroom, garden apartment within the former Georgian Coaching Inn is currently on the market for £299,950. With floor to ceiling windows in the drawing room and a farmhouse-style kitchen, free standing bath and three sash windows in the master bedroom, it would certainly come high on the list of dream homes for many.

At the moment I wouldn’t be quite so demanding when it came to choosing my perfect property. I would be quite content for my dream home just to have a downstairs toilet! So for now, I will keep imagining that dream home and one day, when my lottery numbers come up, it may just be mine.